EDWARD R. - BODY CORPORATE

Just shy of 2 years ago the world was introduced to mysterious phenom Edward R. with his debut EP Agrabah - an impressively mature 5-track mix of exquisitely crafted indie-pop gems. Today marks the triumphant return of Edward R. with the release of his brand new EP Body Corporate. A 5-song opus of intricate, immersive, psychedelic pop, Body Corporate is a conceptual release exploring love, heartache and connection via it's theme of "a man from the past finding love in the future".

After the release of Agrabah, Edward R. (real name Geoffrey Roberts) found himself at a crossroads, unsure of what he wanted the Edward R. project to be, but knowing that he wanted to create music that allowed him to play around with different genres, and not be pigeonholed as an artist. During this period, he moved back to the Sunshine Coast and started working on music that would eventually become Body Corporate.

The EP was recorded between the Sunshine Coast and Melbourne, with Geoffrey producing and playing most of the instruments that appear on the record. Drums on the EP are played by Isaac Leong Loon, with engineering and additional production by Elliot Heinrich at Heliport Studios. While conceptual, Geoffrey says that the album also hits close to home. When recording the EP he says he would regularly “lean towards the existential thought that that this EP is an extension of how I personally feel: Out of place, in the wrong time, but forever longing to be accepted and loved.”

These ideas of acceptance and love certainly anchor the entire record. EP opener and lead-single 'Paradise' is a sunny, pop hit on one’s hope to find their own nirvana. ‘Leave Here Alone’ is a synth-laden, sobering look at the pitfalls of vanity and ego: “Its a trivial pursuit with no reward. It’s taken me many years to undo the years of poison, sewn into my life from people, that, at the end of the day don’t really care if you go to the party.” ‘Why Won’t You Love Me?’ and ‘Way You Do’ are both 70s-inflected slow jams on heartbreak and loneliness, the former being a a battle-weary lovechild of Tame Impala, Tobias Jesso Jr, andTranquility Base era Alex Turner.

The EP ends with the triumphant 'Carry Me', a song full of anthemic, melodic choruses and soaring guitars that recalls early Oasis, that stems from a darker period in Geoffrey’s life: “I was desperate. I was desperately seeking validation for my existence, desperately trying to find peace in turmoil, that, what felt like a burden on my shoulders, be lifted. I pencilled a prayer at some point during this time and it became my mantra, of sorts. Writing this [song] got me out of that time and will stand as testament to believing in something greater than yourself.”